The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-12-03
"A GOOD MAN, CHEAP" /"
The Journalist.

The Journalist
 The Journalist office has to large extent, naturally perhaps, come to be a sort of intelligence office or bureau for newspaper men. No sooner does reporter "sever his connection" with one paper than he drops in here to see if there is a pros- pect of being able to accept a posi- tion on another" Editors come here for men, and men come here for situ- ations. We have been reasonably successful in carrying out this part of our mission, and feel with satisfaction that we have placed a large number of good men upon good papers. We are always willing to take this trouble for our subscribers, and, more fre- quently than we should, we use our time and influence to serve people who have no claims upon us, by subscrip- tion or otherwise. This, however, is not the point. While we feel that it is an exhibition of frigid cheek for newspaper men who have never taken the trouble to subscribe to this paper to come running to us for assistance, still we are willing to do for them what lies in our power from purely philanthropic motives. Of course, by the way, these non-su bscribers are al- ways men who "buy the paper regu- larly from my newsdealer;" and a slight calculation of this class shows us the gratifying fact that OUT news stand sales must amount to something like twenty thousand weekly, though we do not get returns for over one quarter fthat number of copies sold. Philanthropy comes in again, and, of course, we believe the assertions.
 The people who really do annoy us are the unreasonable, unreasoning creatures who apply for Ca good man, cheap" The editor of the Skowhegan Bugte sends to us in a great hurry :; he wants man who can read proof, set type, revise copy, gather locals, handle telegraph, write editorials and short stories, solicit advertisements, canvass for subscriptions, keep books and take turn at the hand press. The man must be bright, original, sober, industrious, we'll educated and thoroughly reliable; and, having all these qualities the editor of the Skow- began Bagle will pay him fifteen dol- lars week. The editor of the Skow- began Btgle does not seem to realize that the great New York, Chicago and Boston dailies have just been look ing for such a man, and are willing to pay him one hundred dollars week if they can get him. Fifteen dollars is as good ill Skowhegan as thirty in New York" says the ruralist. Quite true, but for some occult reason the average young man prefers New York. The fact of the matter is that good men are not to be had cheap, and it is equally true that poor men are dear at any price. The large papers are pay ing the highest price for really bright men, and it is right that they should. If brains are a merchantable commod- ity, it is only right that high quality brains should command high returns.
 No man would be SO insane as to go into Titfany's and say to the salesman, "l want a diamohd as large as the Koh-i-noor. It must be as clear as drop of water, perfectly cut, abso- lutely flawless, artistically set. I will give you ten dollars for such one if you can procure it for me-" It would not create any wild enthusiasm in the jewelry trade or any strong emulation to retain such a customer. Yet it is precisely parallel cases which turn up to our annoyance every day. "Good men, cheap" Fifty dollars worth of brains for fifteen," are demands which in the existing order of things can never be satisfied. We can furnish average men at average prices, or even first-class men at first class prices but we must confess our inability to induce fifty-dollar men to accept ff- teen-dollar positions, and we do not feel especially anxious to do so.